HPU Stuns No. 15 UNC in Final Seconds

3/23/2024 8:36:00 PM

By: HPU Athletics

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — For the first time in program history, the High Point University men's lacrosse team defeated the University of North Carolina as the Panthers stunned the No. 15 Tar Heels in the final seconds Saturday afternoon, 12-11.

HPU shutout UNC in the fourth quarter, using an impeccable 7-0 run — that begin in the third and continued through the fourth quarter — to seal the deal for the gritty road win.
 

"It was a wild game to be down 7 to 1 and to see the resilience of our guys time and time again," HPU Head Coach Jon Torpey said. "I sit in a locker room and I coach the greatest group of guys in the world. What they do for us every day: the way they work, the way they fight, the way they execute, and how quickly they can make adjustments was absolutely elite. And you know, I got an amazing staff I wouldn't trade those guys for anybody. 

"You gotta come in here, in the words of Jason Kelsey, 'An underdog is a hungry dog,' and these guys fought all day and I'm really proud. To do it here, to get this win, the ACC win has eluded us the last couple of years. It means a lot because I have a lot of respect for their staff. I played for Coach Breschi. I love the man. He was a major part of my life and he was gracious after the game as he always is, but just feel good and this is basically a fourth-quarter win."

Site: Dorrance Field
Score: High Point 12, No. 15 UNC 11
Records: High Point (6-4), UNC (6-4)
 


High Point started to heat up in the second as Collin Cooke and Jack Sawyer scored in back-to-back goals. Nick Rizzo put the finishing touches on the first half with some help from Jack VanOverbeke, who secured his third assist of the day before halftime. The Panthers broke for intermission trailing by five points. 

Brayden Mayea kicked things off for the Panthers in the third, attacking from the side with some help from assist machine VanOverbeke. Later in the third, VanOverbeke decided to keep the glory for himself as he shot the ball to the back of the net, kicking off a 7-0 run that would spill into the fourth. High Point trailed 11-6 as the game entered the final 15 minutes. 

The Panthers put their game face on in the fourth. Ian Cann got the party started and then Ryan Hynes scored to give the Panthers back-to-back goals to cut the deficit to three. Collin Rovere quickly followed with a goal of his own before Mayea sent the ball to the back of the net for his second goal of the day. Cann wasn't done yet as he scooped up a blocked ball and sent it sailing to the back of the net for the equalizer, pushing HPU to a 6-0 run. 
 

Zack Overend was a beast in the net, keeping the Tar Heels off the board in the fourth, and giving the offense an opportunity to score a victory. Overend finished the game with 11 saves against the ranked Tar Heels. 

With less than 30 seconds on the clock, High Point had to act quickly to avoid overtime and Sawyer had the answer, receiving an outrageous behind-the-back pass from Brayden Mayea before sending the ball to the back of the net for the game-winner, 12-11.
 

Sawyer's goal secured the Panthers' first win against the Tar Heels in program history. 

Game heroes Sawyer and Mayea led the Panthers in scoring as both registered two goals and five shots.

Luca Accardo was aggressive on the field, securing a whopping 10 ground balls and helping the Panthers best UNC in ground balls, 31-27. Accardo also maned the faceoff circle, winning 15 of HPU's 16 faceoff wins to keep the edge.

Up Next: The Panthers take the win into conference as A-10 play begins next Saturday, March 30 at St Joesph's with the first faceoff set for 12 p.m.
 
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